If you exercise, you should read read as well

Most city dwellers use public transport when they commute to and fro from work. The most common mode of transportation is the train. Similar to most train systems in developed Asian countries, the the local trains are usually packed with drowsy and sleepy eyed commuters, who look as though they have crawled out of their graves. These commuters either stand in the carriages with their eyes shut, or they have plugged themselves into their Iphones.

Among those languid Iphone users, approximately 50% are either watching a video clip or playing a game. Whatever they are doing, I had notice that they simply cannot take their eyes of the screen. I am not opposed to playing games and watching videos on Iphones, and I am usually entertained by the myriad of expressions I see on people's faces when they are engrossed in their games. I am referring to the sudden twitch or the furrowing of their brows when something unexpected happens in the plot of the game. I also appreciate the silence whenever I want to read during my journey.

Yet, I am not simply writing about the pleasure I gain from these merely superficial observations. I supposed my interest in train commuters' attitude is piqued by a statement my professor made when he claimed that we are essentially a product of what we are exposed to. Having said so, I would like to rephrase the statement into a question and asked, are individuals aware of the effects of the media they are exposing themselves to? Truth is, most people don't stop to think because they want to relax and unwind from the stress of work and life. Therefore, the thought of analyzing any form of entertainment is viewed to be mindless and mundane.

Yet our choice of entertainment for the purposing of unwinding should not contribute to the eventual deterioration of the mind. For instance indulging in hours mindless youtube videos or computer games can dull our ability to articulate intellectually because we are neither engaging the present knowledge we have. Knowledge left dormant can very easily grow to be non-existent. Most graduates do not realize the mental risks they are exposed to as they indulge freely in their video and games. Yet the problem can be easily rectify by developing a cultivating the habit of reading. Apelles Poh, the author of Live Well Love Much and Laugh Often concurs with me. He compares reading to exercising. Similar to our need to keep our bodies toned and fit through daily exercises, our minds can be tuned and sharpened through the constant engagement of new knowledge.

Reading need not be boring and mundane in natural. In fact, if we read about our topics of interest, we can easily sweep off our feet. Adding to that, the morning train ride can be an ideal reading time since no one talks and everyone plugged into their phones, thus why not relax with a good book before you reach the office? Therefore, we can still seek entertainment in the form of games and videos, however we need to be consciously fortifying our minds as well, otherwise all that we have learnt will be wasted.

To Julie and Julia

I have just found a life saving formula through a movie, and now I feel and know that can live on an urban island and be happy. The movie is Julie and Julia. I have recently downloaded the move, and this is my first viewing. I first heard about this movie from Kimber, who loves to cook. She had once said that after watching Julie and Julia, she feels that she can cook, and that nothing is impossible. I share the same sentiment. I watched the movie, and fell in love with the characters, particularly the female protagonists, Julie and Julia. Both of these women love to cook, and the activity provides them with an outlet for self-expression in an otherwise stifling environment.  Forced by social circumstance in her life, Julie, along with the support of her loving husband, decides to publish a blog about cooking, particularly on her feat to cook and master the Julia’s 524 French recipes.  Julia on the other hand was led to her passion for a different reason, because she wants to rid boredom from her life. Both women emerged successful in their endeavors.

I want to do what those women did. I want to be successful and I do not want to be bored with life anymore, but what can I possibly do? I am nearing the big three zero, and I am not married and single. Furthermore I am working as an English teacher who tries ever so desperately to relight her perspective on her stifling city life. Maybe I can pursue my passion, and what would I be passionate about? Reading. Writing. Those are the activities, which I am excited about, but I am not a good writer, and even if I was a good writer, what would I write? Cooking? I don't feel comfortable cooking at home, because the kitchen belongs to my mom, and she is very protective of her kitchen, therefore not a feasible idea.

Other than cooking, I think I know what I can write about. I will and I am going to write about my observations of city life.  At this point in my life, I feel that if I participate as a observer, I will be happier because I am no longer standing by passively; instead I am an observer who is actively trying to catch a glimpse of city life on a island that exist as city and country at the same time. Hence, from this day forth, I will contribute a minimum of two entries each week to this blog.Therefore if a year has some fifty weeks, I will make a approximately 100 entries in a year. This is a challenge that I will fulfill because I want to be live life, and cease being bored. 

To Boredom

I have been in Singapore for some eight months. Within this period, I have invested myself in the work of a tutor. I enjoy most aspects of my job, yet there are moments of solitude where I will inevitably say, ‘life in Singapore is a dread.’ I do not understand why and how I could manage such a statement about my home country, Singapore. I realized that the utterance of such a statement bears reference of a credible reflection of my mental state since graduation. I have lived in America for some five years, and coming home to Singapore, I feel as though I have been uprooted from my life and transplanted to a foreign home.  I was born and bred in Singapore until I was 21 years of age, when I move to Hawai’i for college. My initial move to Hawai’i gave me a cultural shock too, where I was transported from an urban to a rather primitive environment. In my new surroundings, the ocean encompassed me, and the mall was ninety minutes away. I could not quite recall how I got over the cultural and environmental shock I experienced, however I remember going on a mission, and returning with a new appreciation for my college environment.

Cross-examining my current situation with my predicament in college, I suppose I could easily stop my life, and whizz off to some place. However running away to another land is not a viable option because I can be in a new land and still be bored. Hence I have decided to take sometime off from work and contemplate about my life and readjust my attitudes and mentality.

Boredom isn’t merely a state of mind which one experiences at various intervals of their life; rather, a mental condition that is debilitating and unavoidably warps one’s perception of life, thus leading one to feel that life isn’t worth living. The root of boredom lies in mental inactivity and action is the only permanent cure to boredom . The article explains the correlation between mental inactivity and boredom, pointing out that when one allows themselves to get bored, he/she is creating obstacles that blocks their road to happiness and fulfillment. Thus action and finding a renewed purpose to life is vital in one’s attempt to clear mental obstacles.

After reading the article, I was a little shocked, and subsequently realized that my inability to recover from my current physical ailment might be due to my negative mental state. Fearing that I might kill myself, I decided to take some form of action because work is necessary in breaking the abounding order of inactivity in my current mental state. Thus I have decided to apply myself in writing and reading. I have also made some plans to visit a new spot in Singapore every weekend. In addition, I am also going to look forward to the outcome of my JET application instead of thinking that life in Singapore is a dread. I am determine and I will end the vicious cycle of boredom and mental inactivity. 

I need to be reborn

I know I have a problem, and I am trying to avert the eventual confrontation. I sense that the problem took root after my graduation in April. Due to hectic school schedules in college, I was overworked and enervated beyond belief. Perhaps my passion for reading, writing and living was dulled by the constant and relentless need to perform. Thus upon graduation, I took a mental hiatus. For a period of some eight months, I stayed away from any mentally strenuous activity.  In hindsight, I am conscious of the damage I had inflicted upon myself, and I am well aware of my present ability to write succinctly and concisely. In fact, I can safely say that I am losing my ability to craft a convincing piece of work; yet the awareness did not stirred me to action until I heard a talk given by Andrew’s parent, Leonard and Rita.

Both of their talks differ in the topics they chose to address. The former chooses to focus his talk on the notion of mental engagement, while the latter shares with the congregation her experiences and her testimony. In addition, Auntie Rita also implored the youth and her counterparts alike to sink their roots deep into gospel soil in order to strengthen their personal testimony, and avert spiritual inactivity. I appreciate their talks, however Uncle Leonard’s talk struck a chord with me. 

In his talk, he expounded on the importance of continual learning. He explains that one should never allow their minds to wander or idle, because idleness is akin to mental regression. He illustrates his point by highlighting that, knowledge we gained earlier in our lives will fail to endure, if we allowed the information we acquire to remain dormant in our brains. Other than admonishing the congregation to be mentally engaged, he offers a remedy for idleness by suggesting that one should expose their minds to a vast variety of books, and to read often as well.

I concur with him. I reflected and contrasted on my present mental state to the period when I was in college. In my reflections, I realized that my ability to construct an argument and perceive have been dimmed by my mental inactivity. I had not read a book for some eight month since graduation. Other than that, I have ceased writing as well. Brother Leonard’s talk have woken me up, and he has brought me to recognize the pathetic mental state I had subjected myself to, as a result of my inability to devote quality time to reading and writing.  I am petrified by my own discovery, and I do not want to lose my capacity to read and write. Hence I have made a promise to myself that I will make a weekly entry to my blog, in addition, to reading three books a month. I will not fall, and I will read and write again. 

Post Script to "Post Modern Identity Crisis"

Following the previous post, I feel I should clarify my stance regarding my perception and comments particularly on sex and the disillusion that seem to contribute to one's identity. As an individual, I am not in favor of leading a celibate life, rather, I feel that sex can never solve the identity crisis one experiences during the defining years of life. Instead one should strive to get out of a rut. Adding to that, research has shown that sex itself serves to enhance one's health, however the perversion of one's desire is a violation of another's virtue. With that said, I hope my stance on the topic is clear.

Post Modern Identity Crisis

In reference to my last entry, I have decided to begin blogging again though I am unable to get around my camera situation. My original plan to establishing this blog was so I could couple my passion for writing with photography. However to my dismay, I realized that the former will have to wait since I can't upload any of my pictures, however I am still taking shots of individuals and moments that I feel should be captured. Other than photography, I have also delve into 20th century and contemporary Japanese literature in an effort to relief myself. In my study of Japanese literature, I realize that most of the protagonists featured in the novels are city dewellers who are primarily disillusioned with their lives and identity.

I have always been intrigued by the Japanese culture, particularly in the culture found in large urban japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. In my study of American and English literature, my professors have often pointed out that the culture and problems in our society are often reflected in the literature of the period. I believe this statement is true. Terry Eagleton seconds this thought in After Theory. Eagleton states that in our era, the birth of theories have cease with the death of great thinkers such as Derrida, and Husserl. He also states that as a society, we are chiefly concerned with sex, and entertainment. Eagleton's statement regarding sex and entertainment as a pervading effect in our society is reflected in the lifestyles we lead and in the literature.

For instance in Shusaku Endo's Scandal and Juichiro Tanizaki's The Key, the protagonist are often portrayed as individuals who are disillusioned with their lives or their marital relationships. These protagonist are also intellectual individuals who surrender themselves to their carnal desires in an effort to revitalize their lives. The figure of the professor featured in Tanizaki's The Key, is one of these figures who abandons himself to his lust hoping to revive his marriage and his life. During the process, his doctor warned his of his dire health, and the inevitability of death if he persists in his pursuits. The professor ignores the warnings and eventually loses his life; while his wife, Ikuko, ends up living with her lover, Kimura, after their daughter marries him. Tanizaki's character of the professor is only an example where intellectual of the society fall as they yield themselves to the desires of the flesh. Endo's Scandal, also features the character of a novelist, Suguro, who feels that his marriage has reach a standstill. In addition, he is accused of masochism by a lady whom he allegedly met when he was visiting the shady night spots of Shinjuk, Tokyo. Though Suguro does not suffer death, he is confronted by accusations and the reality that he might be indeed be a masochist as he seeks to uncover the possibility of his dual personality and the truth of human nature through sexual violence. Though the characters are often left destitute in their personal confrontation, I feel that perhaps life in a city is the major cause to the mental and psychological deprivation which one experiences.
As a city dweller, I can understand the monotony of urban life, hence my urge to take up photography after graduation. Though the plan did not work out, I am nonetheless glad that I have found refuge in contemporary Japanese literature. I hope my understanding and study of oriental literature dealing with personal identity and disillusionment will lay the groundwork for my pursuit of a graduate degree in rhetoric concerning Japanese literature. 

For Those Who Blog

Some people blog for the fun and excitement, which technology affords to those who are willing to publish their thoughts. There are also others who feel that online publishing is an economic way of preserving and sharing their memories with those they love. Hence we are bloggers in our own right. However 'blogger' does not yet denote an individual who merely sits in front of a computer tapping away on a keyboard; rather the blogger of this post modern society is a sensitive and perceptive individual who writes and publish with an express purpose of sharing a perspective they feel keenly about.
Their perspective might not be ground breaking news pertaining to our existence, yet their description of reality through the medium of language holds the possibility of highlighting the mind numbing ideology the society uses. John Updike in "You Never Know, Dear, How Much I Love You," made a similar statement in the concluding lines when he states a similar sentiment through his protagonist Ben, as he boldly refers to the world as a "jaded coquette" who constantly "spurns our efforts to give ourselves to her wholly." (6). There is no wrong in the indulgence of sharing personal interests, however bloggers should not spare the opportunity to create awareness.
Most people have been a blogger at some point in their lives since most write what they observe; in other words they try to use language to make sense of the mundane and ordinary of life. Thus a blogger who evolves with time and technology should not overlooked his ability to render beauty and reality to the mundane and ordinariness of life through the medium of language.